Complete Story

12/11/2011

HOSPICE HELP Act S 722 / HR 3506

Exciting news! Representative Tom Reed of 29th district of New York State has introduced H.R. 3506- the House version of the HELP Hospice Act! Rep. Reed had several very positive interactions with one of our great programs- Southern Tier Hospice & Palliative Care in Corning, NY. Through great grassroots advocacy, they were able to build a relationship with Rep. Reed that ultimately led to him championing the hospice cause. Be on the lookout for a series of posts on the HAN Blog detailing the grassroots activity that led to the introduction of the HELP Hospice Act- it’s an inspiring story that speaks to the passion of the entire hospice community!

Southern Tier wasn’t alone, however. H.R. 3506 has two original co-sponsors- Rep. Erik Paulsen (R) of the Minnesota 3rd district and Rep. Mike Thompson (D) of the California 1st District. Just like its Senate companion, the HELP Hospice Act has bipartisan support, something the hospice community has always been proud to achieve.

This is where you come in!

H.R. 3506 has a much higher chance of being signed into law by the current Congress if it has a long list of co-sponsors. The more offices we can get to sign on, the better. We need your help to push this bill across the finish line!!! We’re asking you to email your Members of Congress and ask them to support the HELP Hospice Act!

Just to recap, the HELP Hospice Act legislation will address some of the difficulties in complying with the face-to-face encounter regulation, require piloting and a period of study for any future hospice payment reform -including the u-shaped curve, and will help combat fraud and abuse by requiring more frequent surveys of hospice providers.

We need your help to line up additional co-sponsors- write your Representative today!